cup lichen

cup lichen, any of several lichens of the genus Cladonia), so named for their cuplike growths. They are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and are usually found on the ground or on rocks. The thallus (lichen body) varies in shape from simple and pointed to cup-shaped and can be yellow, gray, or brown in colour. Cup lichens are commonly collected and contain a gummy or starchy material. When boiled with milk or syrup, this material has been used as a remedy for whooping cough and chest ailments.

The pixie cup lichen (Cladonia pyxidata) has small funnel-shaped cups and grows about 2.5 cm (1 inch) high. Mealy pixie cup lichen (C. chlorophaea) has small green goblet-shaped cups, often covered with dustlike propagules. Boreal cup lichen (C. borealis) has red cups on a pale green thallus and is native to northern North America.